Emergency release for webbing and lines



Apnl 30, 1968 J. A. GAYLoRD EMERGENCY RELEASE FOR WEBBING AND LINES 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 25, 1966 /N VEN TOR JOHN ,4. GA YL ORD ATTORNEY- April 30, 1968 J. A. GAYLORD EMERGENCY RELEASE FOR WEBBING AND LINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 25, 1966 /NVE/VT'OR JOHN A. GA YLORD BY Arron/ver United States Patent C 3,330,692 EMERGENCY RELEASE FR WEBBNG AND LINES .lohn A. Gaylord, San Rafael, Calif., assigner to H. Koch d: Sons, Corte Madera, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Nov. 25, i966, Ser. No. 596,899 S Claims. (Cl. 244-151) ABSTRACT F THE DSCLOSURE The illustrative embodiment of the invention includes a pair of connector rings on the meeting ends of webbings or lines, and a cord coiled around the adjacent parts of the rings, correspondingly to the anticipated maximum load, the ends of the cord being tied together so as to hold the connection secure; a knife is held inside the coiled cord, and handle means are provided whereby the knife can be pulled to cut the cord for releasing the connection.

Brief .nunmal-y of the invention In some emergencies a webbing or line under load must be cut quickly in order to prevent damage to person or property. For instance, the shroud lines of a parachute or the webbing of a harness, sometimes must be cut manually in such emergency, and if the person drops the knife then the entanglement or emergency may prove fatal. rl`here are other instances of such emergency where the quick cutting of a webbing or a line is vital and any delay in looking for a knife may be fatal, for instance the cutting away of loads on an airplane that became partially loose, or cutting entangled lines pulling or suspending `any load and the like. The features of this invention include a pair of suitable connections on the meeting ends of portions of webbing or lines held together by a suitable strong cord which cord can be easily cut, and the supporting of a cutter blade in ready position for cutting the cord, and a pulling handle normally held in inoperative position on the webbing or on a line which can be quickly pulled into operative position and whereby the cutter blade can be pulled against the cord to cut it quickly; the connector elements held together by a cord being so fitted to one another as to easily and quicklyl separate when the cord is cut.

I am .aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements and combinations of the several devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction thereof without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following specification, and as defined in the following claims; hence I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the said device and parts as described in the said specification, nor do l confine myself to the exact details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

FIG. l is a sectional view of the emergency release on connecting rings between webbings, the section being taken on lines 1 1 of FG. 2.

PEG. is a front view of the emergency release shown in FIG. l.

FlG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the lines 3 3 of FIG. 2.

FG. 4 is a partly sectional detail view of the cutting blade support assembly.

FlG. 5 is a side view ofthe cutting blade assembly with a fragmental view ofthe pulling line.

3,381,592 Patented Apr'. 30, i968 FIG. 6 is a perspective View of the cutting blade.

FlG, 7 is a perspective view of the shield for the cutting blade.

FIG. 8 is a fragmental partly sectional view showing the arrangement and knotting of the cord.

FG. 9 is a cross sectional developed view of the connecting rings for the opposite webbings, the section being taken on lines 9 9 of FIG. l0.

FIG. 10 is a developed partially sectional front view of the connecting rings for the opposite webbings.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention herein the webbing or line 1 has a loop 2 formed at its end. A first connector ring 3 is held in the loop 2 in the usual manner. The end 4 of another webbing also has a loop 6 formed therein in which is held a second connector ring 7. From the sides of this second connector ring 7 extend a pair of legs 8, each of which has a groove 9 along the inside thereof for straddling and nesting the respective opposite sides 1l of the rst connector ring 3.

The adjacent cross bars il?. and 13 of the respective connector rings 3 and '7 are held together by a cord 14 which is coiled around the cross bars 12 and 13. In this illustrative form the cord is capable of withstanding G- lb. pull, and multiplying this by the number of turns of the coiled cord lei, the connection can be made of a strength to suit the weight to be supported, or the tension or pull to which the webbing or shroud line will be subjected, plus a reasonable facto-r of safety. For instance, the seven turns of the coiled cord 14 in the illustrative embodi ment shown in the drawing herein would be capable of supporting up to 7000 pounds of pull. The ends it of the cord 14 are extended upwardly along the ring 3 and are tied into .a suitable square knot 17, in the present illustration, located in the loop 2 of the webbing 1.

A cutting blade 2l. is supported in the yoke 22 by snitable pins 23. The space 24 between the legs of the yoke 22 is such that it accommodates a turn of the cord i4. The cutting edge 26 of the blade 21 faces toward the turn of the cord la which is passed through the space 24 of the yoke 22. A spring clip 27 surrounds and shields the cutting blade 21. The separable curved free ends 2S of the spring clip bear against the cord i4 in the space 24 so that when the yoke .22 is pulled, the spring clip, which iS very light and readily yieldable, bears against the cord 14 and the ends 28 are sprung apart by cutting edge 26 of the blade 21 as it is pulled against the cord 141. The spring clip 27 is of just suilicient strength to resist accidental cutting ofthe cord 14.

The yoke 22 has a hub 31 with a transverse hole 30 therethrough. A forked ferrule 32 straddles the hub 31 and is swingably held in place by a pivot pin 33. A bar or cable 34 is suitably secured in the ferrule 32 and is made of suitable length for manipulation. On the free end of the bar or cable 3d is a handle ring 36, the outer end 37 of which is bent out of the plane of the handle ring 36 as shown in FlG. l so that when the handle ring 36 is held against the webbing l, the end 37 projects slightly to facilitate the gripping and pulling of the handle ring 36 away from the webbing l and facilitate the pulling of the yoke Z2 and the cutting of the cord 14 by the blade 21 as heretofore described. Upon the cutting of the cord i4 the pull on the opposite webbing or lines unwinds the coiled cord and the connected webbing or shroud lines are severed by the pull exerted thereon.

The handle ring 36 is held in place by suitable light tape or sleeve 38 which is comparatively weak so that it can he manually torn, but it is suciently strong to prevent accidental displacement of the handle ring 36.

In the present illustration a so-called Velcrow (trademark) strip is used which is wrapped around the webbing l and .also around the handle ring 36 so that the ends thereof overlap in front of the handle 36. 'The adhering or gripping base 39 is formed on the outside surface of the tucked under end of the sleeve 38. The coacting covering gripping surface 41 complemental to the base 39 is formed on the under side of the outer overlapping end of the sleeve 33. The Velcrow ends provide just sutlicient adhesion to maintain the handle ring 36 in the full line position shown in FIG. l, but offer minimum resistance to manual force exerted on the end 37 of the handle ring 36 for pulling it away from the webbing l and thereby tearing or separating the adhering surfaces 39 and 41 thereby to free the handle ring for pulling the yoke assembly and thereby to pull the knife Z1 against. the adjacent coil of the cord 1d for cutting the latter.

I claim:

1. In an emergency release for webbing and lines,

(a) a iirst connector element on the meeting end of one portion of the webbing,

(b) a second connector element on the meeting end of another portion of the webbing,

(c) a cord coiled around adjacent parts of said connector elements, the number of coils of said cord corresponding substantially to the maximum tension to be born by said webbing,

(d) the ends of said cord being secured together against accidental unwinding,

(e) .a blade holder embracing at least one coil of said cord,

(f) a cutter blade held in said blade holder within said embraced coil,

(g) and handle means connected to said blade holder,

(h) the cutting edge of said cutter blade facing toward said handle means and being transverse with respect to the embraced coil, whereby the pulling of said handle means pulls said holder for pulling the cutting edge ot the blade against and through said embraced coil thereby cutting same embraced coil and releasing said connector elements.

2. The emergency release dened in claim 1 wherein said blade holder includes,

(i) a yoke,

(j) means to secure said blade in said yoke with the cutting edge of the blade facing toward the closed end ofthe yoke and being spaced from said closed end for providing a space for at least one coil of said cord extended through said space,

(k) said handle means being connected to the closed end of said yoke.

3. The emergency release defined in claim 2, and

(l) a yieldable shield on the exposed portion of said blade,

(in) openable parts of said shield bearing against said cord to open and expose the cutting edge of said blade when said yoke is pulled.

4. The emergency release defined in claim 2, and

(l) a spring clip shielding said blade and having openable end portions bearing against said cord to be pressed apart and open when pulled against said cord, thereby to expose the cutting edge of said blade for cutting said cord in said yoke.

5. 'The emergency release dened in claim 1 wherein said handle means include (i) a handle ring,

(j) means to pivotally connect the handle ring to said blade holder,

(k) and securing means to hold said ring `against the adjacent webbing thereby to prevent accidental pulling of the blade holder, said securing means includ ing an element wrapped around said ring and said webbing and being separable by the force exerted by the manual pulling of said ring away from said webbing.

6. The emergency release defined in claim 1 wherein (i) each connector element being a ring,

(j) each webbing having a loop formed on its end t0 accommodate the adjacent ring, and

(k) said cord being coiled around the adjacent portions of the opposite rings.

7. The emergency release dened in claim 6, and

(l) one of said rings having guides embracing opposite sides of the other ring thereby to hold the rings and the coils of the cord in position.

S. The emergency release deiined in claim 6, and

(l) the ends of said cord being extended into the loop of one of said webbings and said secured ends being confined in said loop.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1894 Hirschmann. 8/1962 Vlasic 244-152 FOREIGN PATENTS 912,300 12/1962 Great Britain. 

